carers news WELCOME TO THE OCTOBER / NOVEMBER EDITION OF CARERS NEWS

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1 carers news October & November 2016 Carers Advice Line Carers Leeds WELCOME TO THE OCTOBER / NOVEMBER EDITION OF CARERS NEWS Speak Up and Take Part Friday 25th November 10am until 3pm St Georges Conference Centre, Great George Street, LS1 3BR This year on Carers Rights Day speak up and take part in this exciting opportunity to discuss important issues for the future of carer support services. Carers Leeds will be bringing together a team of carer support experts, along with key leaders from the sector and 100 carers to review the range of support available to carers in Leeds and look at improvements that can be made. After 20 years of providing carer support, we have adapted our services to meet growing demands of carers, now is the time to step back and make sure carers are getting the full range of support that they need. What to Expect Carers Leeds can t do this alone, we need carers to speak up and take part in shaping support services for carers. The day will start with a fun morning speed dating your way through the wide variety of projects at Carers Leeds giving face to face feedback, ideas and suggestions, whilst hopefully learning something new about the work we do. In the afternoon, you will hear from speakers including Cath Roff, Director of Adult Social Care, Mick Ward, Head of Commissioning at Adult Social Care and Ian Brooke-Mawson, Carers Commissioning Manager. We will then take part in a Who Wants to be a Millionaire - Ask the Audience style session using your buzzers to tell us what you want from carer support services, these live results will be used to develop and influence services for carers in Leeds. Refreshments will be available throughout the day and a light lunch will be provided. Join Us! This event is for carers only and booking is essential. To book your place, please contact Carers Leeds no later than Tuesday 1st November on or book online here: conference-2016-tickets Transport buses will be available from the Carers Leeds Centre, if you require a place on the free bus, or if you need support in order to attend, please contact Carers Leeds to discuss this further. With support from Kindly printed by

2 Carers News - October / November 2016 Edition Page 2 HOPE Carers Support Programme Now you can get your free flu vaccination from your local pharmacy Are you supporting someone with cancer, emotionally and/or physically? Then the HOPE (Help Overcome Problems Effectively) programme may be for you. The sessions can help you overcome the challenges involved when supporting someone with cancer and gives you the chance to meet with other carers. The programme is free and will only need your time to attend the 6 weekly sessions, lasting 2.5 hours each. held on Thursday 3rd November from 10am until 12.30pm. The 6 week course will begin Thursday 10th November from 10am until 12.30pm. For more information, or to book your place on the programme, please contact The Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre on or leedsth-tr.cancersupport@nhs.net As a carer, you are entitled to a free flu vaccination and these are now available from your local pharmacy (chemist). Flu vaccination will help you avoid getting flu and reduce the risk of you becoming ill. It s important that carers take time to look after themselves and protect themselves against infections such as flu. But it s also important to protect those we care for, even if the person has had a flu jab. The HOPE Carers Support programme will take place at The Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre. A taster session for the course will be Leeds Pride 2016 Written by Elaine Wilkes, Mental Health Carer Support Worker Leeds Pride is an annual Gay Pride celebration held in the city of Leeds. Carers Leeds took part in the celebrations to offer support for LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Trans) carers. I have never been to Leeds Pride before, and it was one of the most fantastic days I have had in a long time - everyone was so talkative and friendly! I had a really moving conversation with one carer who told me how difficult it is caring for someone, and that she had been caring for 20 years. She told me about feeling isolated and unsupported by friends and family. I let the carer know about the Carers Advice Line and how she could get group support from other understanding carers as well as one to one support with a Carer Support Worker. The carer said that she felt so relieved to know there were people who would listen and understand what she felt. That contact made my day, and I hope it made hers too! There were lots of people who wanted to talk and smile whilst enjoying the costumes and friendly fun atmosphere. We had such a fantastic day we want to do it again next year but this time with a huge Carers Leeds banner part of the Leeds Pride Parade would you like to join us? It was a magic day! How to get your free NHS flu vaccination from a local pharmacy Often, you don t need to make an appointment speak to your local pharmacy to discuss your free NHS flu vaccination. Don t forget to tell them that you re a carer. Introducing the new Carers Leeds Website! has undergone a new look and created a place where you can keep up to date with what s happening at Carers Leeds, view our events list, or find out more about our services and support groups. Follow Our Blog! As part of the Leeds City Council Carers Strategic Partnership, we are joining forces with Adult Social Care and NHS organisations to host a city wide blog dedicated to carers issues and developments in health and social care. f o Facebook and Twitter keep up with news, blogs, photos and events!

3 Page 3 Carers Included: A Guide to Best Practice in Mental Health Care in England Carers Leeds is working with Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) to improve the experience of carers who support someone using mental health services. Since the beginning of the year LYPFT and Carers Leeds have been using the Triangle of Care approach to improve services and bring about a lasting change. We are currently working with Community Services such as Community Mental Health Teams and Memory Services, as well as actively working with inpatient services; these include wards at The Mount and at the Becklin Centre. Triangle of Care is a national framework for Mental Health NHS Trusts to improve the support they offer carers. For more information read the blog Carers Can Improve Our Service dated 27th June 2016 available on the Carers Leeds website: carers-can-improve-our-services/ Young Adult Carers The Young Adult Carer Support Service is for those aged 16 to 25 years old caring for a friend or family member with an illness, disability or addiction. Carers Leeds provide one to one support sessions giving emotional support and information or advice on money matters, education and caring. Get Involved! We are very keen to involve carers in the work that we are doing. If you have had experiences of services offered by LYPFT as a carer and would like to share these, we would be keen to hear from you. Meetings are held once a month at Carers Leeds, for more information contact Stephen Taylor on or stephen.taylor@carersleeds.org.uk Sign up to the YAC Newsletter! Sign up online at org.uk/young-adult-carers or contact the Carers Advice Line on and keep up to date on activities, group sessions and trips. Already this year carers have had first aid training, been to York Gr8 Escape, and had loads of fun at Go Ape! Information Session for Family Carers: Future Planning Friday 7th October 10.30am until 12pm Conference Room at Westfield Chambers, Westfield Business Park, Lower Wortley Road, LS12 4PX We are delighted to announce that Carers Leeds will be working in partnership with Aspire Community Benefit Society to run regular joint events providing information on topics that are particularly relevant to carers of people with a learning disability. The first information session will invite Clare from Clarion Solicitors to talk about what families need to know if they, or other relatives, are thinking of leaving any money or property to someone with a learning disability. This will include information about Discretionary Trusts, choosing trustees, safeguarding people s income, legal obligations for parents of disabled people, and more. Clare will be happy to answer questions and there will be a private room available to talk individually after the session if required. A light lunch will also be provided. Places are limited to 20 and you can ring Aspire on to book your place or for more information.

4 Carers News - October / November 2016 Edition Page 4 What s on at Carers Leeds Mehfil Group Time for Us Café - Find out more about Dementia Thursday 10th November 11am until 2pm Carers Leeds, 6/8 The Headrow, Leeds City Centre Specialist Dementia Carer Support Workers from Carers Leeds will be at the next Time for Us Café to support carers of people with dementia. The session will focus on giving carers an understanding of dementia, how to access support as a carer, financial and legal affairs and planning for the future. Lunch will be provided but in order to cater for the correct number of people please contact Carers Leeds on to book your place. Bookings will be taken from 10am on Tuesday 18th October. Time for Us Café - How to Avoid Scams, Fraud and Doorstep Crime Thursday 8th December 11am until 2.30pm Carers Leeds, 6/8 The Headrow, Leeds City Centre Staff from the Safer Project at West Yorkshire Trading Standards will be joining the Time for Us Café to give carers a presentation on Scams and Frauds; giving an overview of a variety of scams and frauds, how to spot them and how to avoid them, and Doorstep Crime; giving advice and information about doorstep callers and rogue traders. Lunch will be provided but in order to cater for the correct number of people please contact Carers Leeds on to book your place. Bookings will be taken from 10am on Tuesday 18th October. Khawar Zulfiqar, Carer Support Worker The last Thursday of every month 1.30pm until 3.30pm Touchstone, Harehills Avenue, LS7 1DA A support group for South Asian women carers offering a space to meet other carers in a similar situation. Giving you a chance to relax with light refreshments in a friendly place. Carers speak English, Punjabi, Urdu Hindi and Mirpuri but we make sure everyone is supported, offering advice and information whilst having fun and laughter. For more information contact Khawar or Zaira on For Carers of Someone with a Heart Condition Friday 4th November 10.30am until 12pm Carers Leeds, 6/8 The Headrow, Leeds City Centre Crafty Carers Bramley Lawn Social Centre, Rossefield Lawn, LS13 3RU Mosaic Session Friday 14th October 10.30am until 1pm Christmas Crafts Session Friday 11th November 10.30am until 1pm Are you looking to relax, take a break and let your creative juices flow! Come along and join us for some crafty fun. We will be making Mosaics and getting an early start on those Christmas crafts! Refreshments and light lunch provided. No need to book, we look forward to seeing you! At times you can feel very isolated caring for someone with a heart condition, but there are other people going through very similar experiences. The coffee mornings are open to anyone who supports someone with a heart condition. Please drop-in for a coffee and a chat with other carers, let s share ideas and support each other. We look forward to seeing you!

5 Page 5 World Mental Health Day at Carers Leeds Saturday 8th October 10am until 2pm Carers Leeds, 6-8 The Headrow, Leeds City Centre For all carers who are interested in mental health including dementia. World Mental Health Day is a chance for us to talk openly about mental health, and although officially held every year on 10th October, Carers Leeds recognises a lot of carers work during the week, therefore we would like to invite you to a Saturday morning brunch! Join Carers Leeds for croissants and cake, or a family fun game of table tennis, whilst relaxing with other carers in an informal and friendly atmosphere. Please do bring along your family and friends, there is no need to book. We look forward to meeting you! Parents who are Caring for an Adult Child with a Life Limiting Condition Do you Care for Someone with a Personality Disorder? Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) and Carers Leeds is running a course in November for carers of someone with a personality disorder. The course can help carers gain a greater insight into personality disorders, offer ways to support someone and give you the chance to meet with other carers. The person you care for does not Bat and Chat Join Us Every Friday 11am until 1pm Carers Leeds, 6-8 The Headrow, Leeds City Centre have to currently be in contact with mental health services, or have a formal diagnosis. The course is free to attend and will take place over 5 weeks starting on Wednesday 9th November from 6pm until 9pm at Carers Leeds. For more information or to book your place on the course, contact Carers Leeds on Dealing with Stress and Anxiety In November the Health and Wellbeing Team here at Carers Leeds will be giving carers the opportunity to learn new ways to deal with stress and anxiety. In a group we will learn how to manage stress and associated problems, whilst picking up new skills to tackle stress and anxiety. These group sessions are to offer information and support to carers, not group therapy. If you are registered with a GP within the North, South or East areas of Leeds and you would like to know more information, please contact Charissa Chester, Carer Health Support Coordinator on Carers Leeds has teamed up with Ping! England to bring table tennis to carers! Table tennis is a low impact exercise and good for fitness. Come and have a recreational game and a chat, meet new people for some banter and rallies. No skill or previous experience necessary. Refreshments available. Wednesday 19th October 10.30am until 12.00pm Carers Leeds, 6-8 The Headrow, Leeds City Centre An opportunity for parents caring for an adult child to meet with other people in a similar position. Come along to support each other, look at services available for your family, whilst taking some time out and making new friends. Contact Angie Thompson on to discuss further. No need to book, we look forward to meeting you. Update on Carer Support at Oakwood Lane Medical Practice The Practice Health Champions at Oakwood Lane Medical Practice have launched a new 'drop-in' session from 9am until 1pm every Tuesday morning for people in the community with differing needs. Carers are especially welcome, as many of the volunteers have different experiences of the caring role or are able to help with signposting visitors to the relevant services. Susan Hartley Drop-in for a friendly cuppa and a chat, no need to book, everyone welcome!

6 Carers News - October / November 2016 Edition Page 6 Looking for services and organisations you can trust that are available to help you, your friends, and relatives? Leeds Directory is just what you need. Whether in need of a cleaning service or a plumber, information on local activities or help with personal care, Leeds Directory can provide the information needed to improve choice and control. Leeds Directory lists over 1900 organisations providing services around the home and garden, each one is checked and vetted for peace of mind. You can access the information on the website or by contacting the friendly staff on the helpline. Star ratings and reviews allow you to read what other people think, the Leeds Directory team encourages users to rate their providers on things like reliability, affordability, flexibility, accessibility, and the quality of the work done. These providers are marked with the Leeds Directory Green Tick so you know they can be trusted. A downloadable Green Tick Directory is available online, which allows you to search for Green Tick services in your chosen postcode areas creating a community-based service that is individually tailored, just for you. A new addition is the online What s On calendar which, together with Google Maps, helps you find out what is happening in your area and the ability to be able to search for activities in relation to care and health needs, either for yourself or the person you care for. If you haven t seen the Leeds Directory recently, visit or telephone the Leeds Directory helpline number , the team will be happy to search the Directory for exactly what you need. The Leeds Directory is a Leeds City Council funded contract, which is managed by Care & Repair Leeds. Free Memberships Available for Audiobook Library Service Listening Books is a national charity that provides a postal and online audiobook library service to children and adults who struggle to read or hold a book due to an illness, disability, mental health issue or learning difficulty. Listening Books have recently received funding to offer a number of FREE memberships to people living in Leeds who would find the usual membership fees ( per year) a barrier to joining the service. To apply for a free membership, please contact Jo Cord on or jcord@listening-books.org.uk. You can also apply online by visiting and ticking the box to apply for a free place.

7 Page 7 People Affected by Another Person s Drug and Alcohol Use Hello! From Erica and Lesley, Drug and Alcohol Concerned Other Workers Our roles at Carers Leeds are Drug and Alcohol Concerned Other Workers; this means that we work with adults who are affected by another adult s drug and/or alcohol use. Erica has worked at Carers Leeds for 4 years, and prior to this worked in homelessness and substance misuse. Lesley has worked at Carers Leeds for 5 years, and previously worked with children and young people who were using drugs and alcohol, or who were affected by their parents drug or alcohol use. The Drug and Alcohol Service - Supporting Concerned Others Rather than working with drug and alcohol carers, we use the term concerned others this is because we focus on the impact of substance misuse on the life of the partner, family member or friend of the user rather than the care provided. Many of the concerned others who we work with are unable to provide care to the person in their life who is using drugs/alcohol, but are significantly affected by the substance use. The term concerned others is also used by recovery agencies and so this allows us to be consistent with the professionals that we work alongside. The drug and alcohol project empower concerned others by educating them about substance misuse, recovery, boundaries and coping. This allows the person to make informed decisions about how they will respond to their loved one s substance use. At Carers Leeds we offer one-to-one support to concerned others, and also facilitate three groups each month. We believe strongly in the recovery model of addiction, which means that all people have the opportunity to recover when they are ready and with the right support in place. Although it is very distressing for the parent or spouse of someone using drugs/alcohol to see their loved one making poor decisions that are detrimental to their health and wellbeing, our role is to support concerned others to try and reduce the stress associated with supporting a person who is using drugs or alcohol. We also work to increase the concerned others physical and mental wellbeing by making changes to their own behaviours (in responding to the drug or alcohol use) and to support an acceptance that we cannot change other people. One of our key priorities in working with concerned others is making sure that they are safe unfortunately drug and alcohol users can present risks that we need to manage, especially if the concerned other is elderly, isolated or particularly vulnerable. When concerned others work with us to make changes to how they respond to their family member/friend s drug or alcohol use, we find that they cope better with their situation. The boundaries that concerned others introduce not only protect themselves, but may prompt the substance user to make positive changes, too. Are you affected by another adult s substance misuse? Contact the Carers Advice Line on Are you worried about your own drug or alcohol use? Contact Forward Leeds on

8 Carers News - October / November 2016 Edition Page 8 From the Postbag Tell Your Story! Carers Leeds is committed to supporting carers, and we d like to get to know you all a little better. By sharing your caring experience, journey or story, you may find that you can help and comfort someone else in a similar situation. We would love to hear from you. Send your story to: Rachel Moore, Newsletter Editor, Carers Leeds, 6/8 The Headrow, Leeds, LS1 6PT or rachel.moore@carersleeds.org.uk. For more information please contact Rachel on This month our readers want everyone to know about Presto Presto is a Leeds City Council service helping people live independently, safely and well in their own home. The service is available long or short-term. Simply choose the type of help you want, when you want it, and Presto will provide a cost and get it done for you. We all need some company to help with day-to-day activities and to improve our quality of life and wellbeing. A companion from Presto can assist with cleaning, shopping trips, visits or appointments, days out or quality time and support in the home. Staff are experienced, and friendly. They support people, including those with mild memory loss, to live at home independently. They take the time to get to know the customer and build a relationship. If you are interested in the Presto service for any friends or family members, please call Presto directly on If you are able to receive the newsletter via , if you are no longer caring, or if you have received more than one copy at the same address, please let us know. Contact Details - Carers Advice Line (9 am 4.30 pm, Monday - Friday) - Drop-In to Carers Leeds City Centre office (10 am 3.30 pm, Monday - Friday) - info@carersleeds.org.uk - Message via the website, Facebook or Twitter For support for carers aged 5-17, contact Willow Young Carers on Clas Ohlson Briggate Upper Briggate < Town Hall Sports Direct The Headrow Three Legs Pub Disabled Parking West Yorkshire Playhouse > Vicar Lane 6/8 The Headrow, Leeds, LS1 6PT Admin telephone number: Carers News is also available in large print and on audio tape or CD. Please contact Brenda James at Carers Leeds on to request your copy. f/carersleeds fyoungadultcarersleeds o@carersleeds Carers Leeds is a Limited Company Registered No ; Registered Charity No With support from